War drama from Oliver Hermanus follows a young gay man conscripted into the South African army. Nominated for the Queer...
War drama from Oliver Hermanus follows a young gay man conscripted into the South African army. Nominated for the Queer Palm at Venice.
"To be a moffie is to be weak, effeminate, illegal. The year is 1981 and South Africa’s white minority government is embroiled in a conflict on the southern Angolan border. Like all white boys over the age of sixteen, Nicholas Van der Swart (Kai Luke Brummer) must complete two years of compulsory military service to defend the Apartheid regime. The threat of communism and “die swart gevaar” (the black danger) is at an all-time high. But that’s not the only danger Nicholas faces. He must survive the brutality of the army — something that becomes even more difficult when a connection is sparked between him and a fellow recruit." (Venice Film Festival)
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91 %97 reviewsRotten Tomatoes® rating
70 %56 reviewsAudience score rating
"A bleak but necessary reminder that we still have so far to go before everyone is allowed to love who they love without living in fear."
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Little White Lies
Little White Lies"Hermanus, a black South African making a film about apartheid troops, never loses perspective."
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Financial Times
Financial Times"Digs deep into the South African psyche and teases out the contradictions within white society itself..."
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The Times
The Times"Thought-through, empathetic, and powerful..."
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Daily Telegraph
Daily Telegraph"A rumination on the consequences of apartheid on those who benefit from it most."
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Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine"Moffie is an altogether intense experience that often feels as punishing for the viewer as it is for the characters."
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Screen Daily
Screen Daily"Hermanus's film manages an unflinching portrait of a society in spasm; paranoid and brutish and largely screaming at itself."
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The Guardian
The Guardian"It's often tough to watch, but that harshness is mitigated by moments of aching tenderness and desire."
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Hollywood Reporter
Hollywood Reporter"Both a shiver-delicate exploration of unspoken desire and a scarringly brilliant anatomy of white South African masculinity."
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Variety
VarietyMoffie | Details
- Runtime
- 104
- Genre
- Drama, Romance, War
- Country of origin
- South Africa, UK
